Search for diagnostic microRNAs for brain tumor identification using a low-temperature plasma bank

Aim. To assess the level of circulating small non-coding ribonucleic acids (microRNAs), previously identified as differentially expressed in next-generation sequencing (NGS) profiles of various brain tumor types, using a validation cohort formed from a low-temperature plasma bank.

Material and methods. Plasma bioarchiving was performed on pa­tients treated for brain tumors at the National Medical Research Center of Oncology from April 2018 to December 2024. Reverse transcription-­polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the levels of 10 microRNAs in plasma samples from 40 individuals. Participants were divided into five groups of eight individuals as follows: those dia­gnosed with glioblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, benign me­ningioma, and healthy controls. The study groups included 17 wo­men and 15 men, with a median age of 52,5 years. The control group in­cluded seven women and one man, with a median age of 53 years.

Results. Plasma levels of miR-30c-5p, miR-128-3p, miR-186-5p, miR-194-5p, miR-484, miR-19b-3p, miR-431-5p, miR-3168, let-7c-5p, and miR-363-3p were determined using NGS data from 58 plasma samples (Gvaldin, 2024). The validation cohort revealed differential expression changes for four microRNAs (miR-128-3p, miR-194-5p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-363-3p) across the study groups.

Conclusion. Differential expression of circulating miR-128-3p, miR-194-5p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-363-3p is associated with brain tumor oncogenesis and can be used for their diagnosis.

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